Measurement and Research Using the Big Five, HEXACO, and Narrow Traits: A Primer for Researchers and Practitioners

Abstract

Objective Personality traits influence human behaviour across a broad range of situations and are consequently relevant to many theoretical and applied disciplines. In this perspective piece, we provide an overview of the logic underpinning personality measurement and review major personality taxonomies. We provide an extensive set of recommendations for researchers and practitioners on when and how to use measures of personality traits. Method We overview a range of taxonomic representations of personality structure focusing particularly on hierarchical representations and five and six factor models such as the Big Five and HEXACO models. We review the various strengths and weaknesses of each approach. Results The review outlines the major reasons for the dominance of the Big Five model, and suggests it is a good descriptive framework for studying personality in general. However we suggest that researchers and practitioners also consider alternative taxonomic personality representations such as the HEXACO. We provide a range of scenarios whereby alternative frameworks will be more appropriate than the Big Five and offer recommendations both for choosing measures in general and for implementing studies examining personality facets. Conclusion Whilst the Big Five represents an excellent general personality framework that is appropriate across multiple situations, researchers and practitioners should be aware of alternative measures and utilise them where appropriate.

Predicting employee attitudes to workplace diversity from personality, values, and cognitive ability

“…Personality can be represented by domains and facets, values by broad and basic levels, and intelligence by a general factor and narrow abilities. Researchers have debated the relative importance of broad and narrow characteristics, particularly in the personality and cognitive ability domains (Anglim & Grant, 2014;Anglim & O'Connor, 2019;Ashton, 1998;Ashton, Paunonen, & Lee, 2014;Christiansen & Robie, 2011;O'Neill, Paunonen, Christiansen, & Tett, 2013;Ones & Viswesvaran, 1996;Paunonen & Ashton, 2001;Salgado, Moscoso, & Berges, 2013). In the current research, we explore the association of broad and narrow operationalizations of personality traits, values and cognitive abilities in relation to negative attitudes to workplace diversity.…”

“…Personality traits represent relatively stable tendencies in thinking, feeling, and behaving. Personality researchers generally conceptualize traits in a hierarchy where a set of broad domains, such as the Big Fiveneuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness-and alternatives like the six HEXACO factors, are each decomposed into several narrow traits or facets (Anglim & Grant, 2014, 2016Anglim & O'Connor, 2019;Ashton, Lee, Goldberg, & De Vries, 2009;Costa & McCrae, 1992;Srivastava, 2013). The six factor HEXACO model has emerged as an important extension and alternative to the Big Five.…”

Prosociality and morality through the lens of personality psychology

“…To clarify the psychological processes captured by the Dictator Game, we can examine whether Dictator offers are best predicted by personality traits reflecting empathy, compassion, and interpersonal warmth, versus those concerned with etiquette, politeness, and non‐aggression. All such traits are positively inter‐correlated, and cluster together within a major “domain” from the Big Five Framework of personality (see Anglim & O'Conner, , this issue) called agreeableness —often dubbed the prosocial domain of personality (Habashi, Graziano, & Hoover, ; Hubbard, Harbaugh, Srivastava, Degras, & Mayr, ). Crucially, a distinction has been made between two narrower “aspects” of agreeableness, compassion and politeness (see DeYoung, Quilty, & Peterson, ), which distinguish between the two candidate processes in the Dictator Game.…”

“…In sum, a growing body of research using economic games has illuminated the role of personality traits—especially politeness and compassion, but also openness/intellect—in basic prosocial tendencies towards fairness, helping, and cooperation. Although we have focused here on the Big Five domains and their narrower aspects, alternative models of personality, such as the HEXACO (Honesty‐Humility, Emotionality, eXtraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience; see Anglim & O'Conner, , this issue) and the Dark Triad (psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and narcissism; see Koehn, Okan, & Jonason, , this issue), subsume additional traits linked with economic game behaviours, as summarised in Table (see Zhao & Smillie, , for a review). Together, the studies in this literature reveal the personality traits driving distinct and dissociable prosocial preferences and behaviours.…”

Personality psychology in Australia: Introduction to the special issue

“…Moreover, the value of structural models of personality for guiding a truly integrative and incremental science is perhaps under‐appreciated. Anglim and O'Connor (, this issue) provide an excellent overview of how psychological scientists can use trait models in their work. Although they argue that the currently dominant “Big Five” model is a useful framework for the field, they are at pains to make several crucial points: (a) the Big Five seeks to provide a map of the expansive trait universe, not a narrow shortlist of traits; (b) the Big Five is not the only means to structure personality, and alternative frameworks such as HEXACO have demonstrable value; and (c) there are myriad narrow traits that are deserving of study, and often afford superior prediction of behaviour to the more familiar broad traits.…”